38. Zombie
THIRTY-EIGHT
ZOMBIE
Kade and Evelyn’s wedding was hosted an hour outside the city at a country club.
I picked Lennie up outside her condo, where I had dropped her off early this morning to get into her bridesmaid dress.
My breath hitched when I saw her in a gorgeous navy floor-length satin gown.
She met my gaze as I opened the door and I couldn’t help but notice that her smile didn’t reach her eyes.
My unease only grew when we got to the venue of the wedding and she had barely said two words to me. Something was wrong, but there wasn’t much I could do at the moment.
Without so much as a hug or kiss, Lennie went to go meet the bride and the other bridesmaids while I headed to the ceremony area.
The time before the wedding started seemed to drag as I stewed in my seat.
White roses cascaded over the aisle and altar while hundreds of people filled the empty guest seats and in no time the festivities began.
Lennie looked stunning standing up at the altar holding her white rose bouquet.
The fall air was cool, but my body remained warm with my love for Lennie. It made me think about when I would make her a bride and see her standing there in a white dress.
Evelyn and Kade exchanged their own vows as baby Emery sat in the front pew on Chief’s lap. Thankfully, the ceremony was short.
During the cocktail hour, Lennie barely spoke to me, even after she was done with photos. Instead, she was mingling with other guests as I stayed in the corner drinking a beer, racking my brain for what could be wrong.
During dinner, we sat together with my arm around the back of her chair. Everyone knew at this point we were together; even if they didn’t, there was no way I could keep my hands to myself. Lennie was just too beautiful. We were like magnets, always pulling together.
Lennie kept up her usual charm, laughing and smiling at those sitting with us as she continued conversations with them. The only person she wasn’t talking to was me, and it was starting to get to me more and more.
Unease filled my gut when I placed a kiss on her temple, and instead of looking at me, she continued talking to Gwen and Ollie. Once the party was in full swing, I hoped that I could get her alone so I could figure out what was going on.
I watched Lennie swaying on the dance floor with her friends until I couldn’t take it anymore. I walked over and put my lips against her ear. “Can we talk, please?”
She gave me an uneasy stare before nodding and following me out to the patio. The string lights reflected in her eyes, making them sparkle even more than usual, and in the soft lighting her features appeared almost airbrushed.
“What’s going on, kitten?” I asked tenderly.
She gulped and glanced away from me before meeting my eyes.
“Nothing,” she said curtly.
“I thought we agreed no lies?” I responded, realizing how fucked I was for saying that when I was the biggest liar of them all. I let the silence stretch between us until she cracked.
“Where did you go last night?” she asked as emotion filled her face.
Her question caught me off guard, and I raced to come up with an excuse. “I needed to run out because I forgot something at work.”
I watched Lennie’s face fall. And that’s when I knew that I had truly messed up.
“You’re lying to me! I know you are! You keep lying to me!” Lennie cried as her bottom lip trembled. She took a step back from me, onto the grass.
Shocked by her outburst, I scrubbed a hand down my face. “You don’t understand. There are certain things I can’t tell you for your safety!”
The words came out more harshly than I intended.
Unshed tears filled Lennie’s eyes. “Bullshit, Dante! That’s total bullshit, and you know it. I saw you last night! I know what you are up to!”
My heart skipped a beat at her words. I needed to tell her, but every fiber of my being resisted the idea of sharing my secret. Had she followed me last night? Were those phantom footsteps that I’d heard in the warehouse hers?
I took a step forward and froze as she took a step back. My heart sank. She had every reason to not trust me. I understood that.
Lennie clenched her fists at her sides and spoke once again. “This won’t work unless you are honest with me.”
One lone tear slipped down her beautifully made-up face.
I looked at the ground and let out a growl of frustration. “You just don’t get it.”
“Then fucking help me understand it!” she bit back.
I met her eyes. The hurt in her expression deepened at my silence.
“If I tell you, it will ruin everything.”
“If you don’t tell me, you will ruin everything,” she whispered back.
I took a breath and licked my lower lip. My whole mouth felt dry. But she was right. I had to tell her. If I didn’t, I would lose the person that meant most to me.
I took a step closer and was happy when she didn’t retreat.
I put a hand to her cheek. “There are things about me that you shouldn’t know...
” She let out a scoff, but I continued. “If I tell you, you have to understand that I am taking an enormous risk.” I raised my other hand to cup her jaw.
“I don’t want to lose you more than I already have. ”
Tears were falling freely down Lennie's face. “Dante, please, just tell me. Tell me what I saw wasn’t what I think it was.”
I closed my eyes and opened them. Here went nothing. “I am the son of Anthony Ricci.”
She looked at me as if I had confirmed something that she already knew.
“I have been working to take down Sarah and Ricci’s empire.”
Lennie looked at me with confusion and then a “duh” expression. “Well yeah, isn’t that the whole point of your team, to take them down?”
I was unsure what she had seen last night and appreciated she wasn’t jumping to conclusions without letting me explain. I nodded while still holding her face. I saw the moment things clicked.
“But your team doesn’t know that you are his son,” she said.
I nodded once more.
“Please don’t tell me you have been working with that bitch…”
I glanced at our shoes and then back to her eyes. Lennie let out a gasp and moved out of my reach.
She placed a hand over her mouth and one on her stomach as if she were going to puke. “How could you do this to your team, to me?” she cried. She paused, and I saw the minute I lost her. “You’ve known this whole time where Sarah was, didn’t you?”
“I can explain…” I started to say when I heard the sound of glass breaking on the cement behind me.
I wanted to tell her everything. About my daughter, about Cassie.
Just everything, but now it was all fucked up.
I jumped at the sound and turned to see Buddha with a look of shock on his face and now only one glass of champagne in his large hands.